I don't want to make it seem like the kid whose offensive instincts got him selected first overall in the NHL Draft somehow magically discovered his shot in a "ut oh, Happy learned how to putt!" sort of way. For a shooting percentage to undergo a positive regression to the mean it must reach a negative extreme, and that wouldn't be possible if Nico Hischier simply wasn't gripping and ripping the puck on occasion. What he has found, however, is confidence in said shot, and it's made all the difference in the world in turning him from a solid two-way player to a consistent two-way scorer. Not every tricky release on a wrister that is far more well-placed than overly powerful is going to fool the opposing goalie into looking stupid, so - in all likelihood - his four game scoring streak is just as much of an anomaly as the 8 goals he had in the 55 games prior. Still, it's impossible to watch this set of highlights and not see a much more bolder player than the one that would previously rather have had a tooth pulled than be the slightest bit selfish on an odd-man rush...
Admittedly, those four shots are more memorable because they actually went in, but I'm having hard time recalling a single other significant instance in which Nico Hischier was given the option between shooting and passing and opted for the former without hesitation. Even if you discount the unsustainable way in which it's manifested itself on the scoresheet, the maturation of both the player and his poise are becoming clear as day. That's great news for a team that's maintained a playoff position due in large part to the comfortability of their teenage center whose first line work has steadily been in progress. He's found a knack for scoring goal scorer-type goals, and that should make life exponentially easier for him as a playmaker.
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